This morning I participated in the Mutt Strut 5K Run and Walk, the 14th annual event for FAMD, the Friends for Animals of Metro Detroit, an agency dedicated to caring for and finding homes for adoptable animals.

There were actually two events held this morning: the first, my event, was the 5K Run/Walk at 8:00 a.m. and the second was the Mutt Strut, a 2.2 mile stroll which began at 9:30 a.m. For both events, participants were encouraged to bring their dogs and there were many vendors and activities which catered to the pooches. You may recall I scoped out this venue a couple of weeks ago as the event had an 8:00 a.m. start and I didn’t want to get lost and/or be late.

I had registered awhile ago, so I picked up my gear and swag
bag (which doubled as a back pack and contained a bracelet that said “We Care”,
beef jerkey treat, leash, poop bag and a pen).
I’ll give all the doggy gear to my neighbor for “Woody” next time I see
him.

The event started at 8:00 a.m. after we assembled near the
start hoop and heard the national anthem.
The speakers were loud and a husky, with eyes as blue as the sky, howled
at the high notes. Everyone laughed at
that.

It was a gorgeous morning, but a bit on the chilly side (39 F/3.8
C), but that didn’t matter as it was so bright and sunny. This event is always held the second Saturday
in May and I wanted to do it last year and register the day of the event, but
it was a torrential rain that morning.
The second event was cancelled due to thunderstorms.

The tee-shirts were bright yellow. Usually in an event of this type, you’d look out
into the crowd and see a sea of yellow, but most people donned their shirts
under their jackets or hoodies. The
runners were a little braver and just sported the tee-shirt over their regular
clothing.

I like walking in 5Ks and basically, I was there because it was
a great fundraiser – last year the two events raised $100,000.00. Like with prior 5K events, I was not out to win
any speed category, but just there to stroll in the wooded area, enjoy the
ambiance and take some photos. Because I
ambled along, I was the last one from the get-go, but that was okay, I enjoyed
the scenery along the way and will return here to enjoy this trek again. I had worried the walk might be in a swampy
area like I encountered a few weeks ago, but it was all on paved pathways,
mostly away from Ford Field Park.

The long and winding road.

We left Ford Field Park, and after a short trek through the ‘hood, we headed for a more natural area. The path was woodsy and crossed a few wooden bridges.

A few of the runners were already on the return journey.

After arriving at the turnaround …

… I turned on my heel to head back. I could now take my time and savor the trip a
little more – before I didn’t want to stray too far from the rest of the crowd
and not know how to get back. This time
I could enjoy the wooded path of the Rouge River Gateway Trail and I lingered
at the Ford Estate grounds, admiring Fair Lane, the stately home of Henry Ford,
(the founder of Ford Motor Company), and
his wife Clara. The home and trees in
blossom on the grounds were just exquisite.
I hated to take the picture through the chain link fence, but couldn’t
resist doing so as I couldn’t find an access point to gain entry to the grounds. The home is under restoration but the grounds
are open. I think I would like to return
and take a closer look.

It was back to the wooded area, retracing my steps to the
starting point and just about the time I arrived, the awards ceremony for the
Run/Walk were beginning. All of a
sudden, the sun disappeared behind the clouds and it got downright dark – I was
sure it was going to pour raining as we have rain in the forecast for later
tonight and most of tomorrow and Monday.

The “stars” of this event.

Well, I guess the “stars” of the event could be perceived in
many ways, i.e. kudos and awards were
given to the first runners and walkers to return, as well as to fundraising
groups and persons who had solicited donations for today’s walk. Essentially,
each of us who paid a registration fee to participate in the event were “stars”
as well. The mayor of Dearborn was there,
as was Congresswoman Debbie Dingell. The
ambassadors of the event were local TV celebrities Taryn Asher and Jason Carr,
accompanied by their daughter and two fur kids.

But the real “stars” of the event, in my opinion, were these
two pooches.

The first was this dog who was selling sloppy smooches for $1.00 a kiss. There was a line-up to get your face licked by this happy pup at the Kissing Booth. Your roving reporter passed because she wanted to remain “camera ready”. Unfortunately I caught her in a “smoochless” and rather disgruntled-looking pose.

And, there was this dog who seemed perpetually happy with everyone that stopped by to scratch an ear or pet him. This poor pooch had front legs that did not function, yet he got around with two wheels which propelled him forward. The tenacity of this fellow was amazing. I’ve seen pictures of such devices for dogs who are lame in the front or rear legs, but I’ve never have seen a dog using such a device. I tried to get over and speak with his owner/handler, but there was always a crowd around this pooch, so I had to settle for just a photo.

All shapes and sizes.

This is a 130-pound Bullmastiff. It’s the first time I saw this breed of dog. He was huge and drooling like crazy (and no he wasn’t near any of the food vendors). I wasn’t the only person that tried to take his picture and camera shutters were clicking and all of a sudden he shook that massive head. Drool went flying everywhere. (It would be the likes of an alpaca spitting at you.) Ew! I stepped back swiftly and checked the camera lens – whew, it was dry. All us would-be photographers just looked at one another and moved on to the next cute or unusual pooch. (Nice to see I captured the spittle dribbles in these photos.)

This pair of Giant Alaskan Malamutes looked like they were comfy and cozy with all that fur, especially when the sun dipped behind the clouds. You’ll note the sign on their collar they are service dogs in training. This was a good event to test their mettle when they see other dogs.

A few more pooches caught my attention and I noticed a lot of Pit Bull Terriers at this event today.

Considering all the dogs, of all breeds, as well as shapes
and sizes, there was no fighting amongst them.
Each owner had to show proof that shots were up to date, before getting
into the event. I ended up with many
photo bombs as the dogs’ heads were swiveling around to watch one another, or
even to enjoy the savory smell of hot dogs cooking on a grill. (There were plenty of dachshunds, long-haired
and smooth, at the event, so I hope these doxies didn’t get too upset by that hot
dog vendor!)

Free sniffs (no, it’s not what you think).

Speaking of sniffing, this part of the post is not about tired jokes of how dogs get acquainted with each other. No, not at all. There were about 25 vendors set up on the Ford Field Park grounds. You could get a caricature of your dog or even a painting done of your fur kid. There were many doggie treat booths, most of them featuring healthy treats for your pet. Some treats were a little decadent like these:

As I approached this vendor, a hungry German Shepherd eyed a treat bag that balanced precariously on the end of a table. Just one nudge of his big nose, would have set it flying off the table and landing at his feet. The owner, holding her dog’s leash tightly, asked if there were samples and was told with a wink “sorry, no samples, but all sniffs are for free!”

So, I walked the 5K course which is 3.2 miles …

… but I still had some steps to rack up to get to six miles, which I try to achieve each weekend day. I walked around the vendor area and then headed back toward the first wooded area to revisit it again. The entire walk was lovely, but I never saw a single squirrel or bird and thought that was odd. Maybe they stayed up in their nests in their jammies on this chilly morning.

[Header image and logo from FAMD]

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About Linda Schaub

This is my first blog and I enjoy writing each and every post immensely. I started a walking regimen in 2011 and decided to create a blog as a means of memorializing the people, places and things I see on my daily walks. I have always enjoyed people watching, and so my blog is peppered with folks I meet, or reflections of characters I have known through the years. Often something piques my interest, or evokes a pleasant memory from my memory bank, so this becomes a “slice o’ life” blog post that day. I respect and appreciate nature and my interaction with Mother Nature’s gifts is also a common theme. Sometimes the most-ordinary items become fodder for points to ponder over and touch upon. My career has been in the legal field and I have been a legal secretary for four decades, primarily working in downtown Detroit, and now working from my home. I graduated from Wayne State University with a degree in print journalism in 1978, though I’ve never worked in that field. I like to think this blog is the writer in me finally emerging!! Walking and writing have met and shaken hands and the creative juices are flowing once again in Walkin’, Writin’, Wit & Whimsy – hope you think so too. - Linda Schaub

I should have looked on Pinterest for such an image as I probably could have found one … do you ever go there Anne? I believe there is an image for everything on Pinterest. I often go if I am looking for a quote or a special image like those gray Crayolas and rainy only in gray. I thought it was a great idea as well. I was surprised how well behaved the dogs were in this venue and there were a lot of dogs. And, you’d think there would be a lot of barking – not much at all. Very well behaved. Every dog that walked in each event, got a yellow bandana. For the 5K runners/walkers got a tee-shirt and for the “Mutt Strut” it was a smaller event and the dogs got bandanas only. We were lucky to have good weather – last year they cancelled the second event due to thunderstorms/lightning and the first event was a torrential downpour. We have rain today/tomorrow … hoping to salvage a morning walk Monday, but not sure. Happy Mother’s Day Anne!

Glad rain is not disrupting you and good thing you had no outdoor activities planned. An ugly day here today and Monday still. I have gone to Pinterest in the past to find something out of the ordinary as well. Some people are into the “pinning” of pictures, etc. to their Pinterest Boards. I registered my name and that is it and it enables you to search/download free content easier. For example, you and I had the discussion about sausage gravy and biscuits awhile ago. I just went to Pinterest and searched for sausage gravy and up comes pictures galore (salivating now) and recipes. It is fun – one day if you’re bored, check it out. Sausage gravy miscellaneous below: https://www.pinterest.com/search/pins/?q=recipe%20for%20country%20sausage%20gravy&rs=typed&term_meta%5B%5D=recipe%20for%20country%20sausage%20gravy%7Ctyped

I know people say they can get lost on that site, that is true, especially if you are into crafting or art. I would like in the future, after I retire, to take another art class. I enjoyed my charcoal sketching class I took decades ago and wrote about last year … but I think a class is not even necessary as there are samples, how-tos on Pinterest. We have another crummy mornng – I’ll try to get a short walk in after the drizzle is gone. We are supposed to be better the end of the week, but a little rain every other day … ugh.

It looks like a lovely park, and I would be interested in seeing that Henry Ford house. Loved the visual of the birds and squirrels in their jammies….looks like the rest of the weekend might be a jammie weekend too!

I’m hunkering down inside the house today and doing housework and getting out some Spring clothes – maybe soon I can wear them. I’m still in a Winter coat, gloves, sometimes a hat and heavier pants. That will be after I clean the house. My post for Mother’s Day will launch later today. I need to stay off the computer more and attend to other things in the house and I haven’t even been outside yet due to all the rain. One thing about the 5K walks in different parks is that you get a chance to visit other venues and also I can see if I don’t mind doing a walk that goes through a heavily wooded area. For example, last Summer I did a charity walk at Heritage Park (where the historical village and pond is). I really like that park and usually walk around the village area when I go there and then they have a track which goes around the entire park, which is separate from the village. I’ll walk there at the track to get my steps as you don’t rack up many steps in the village area, but it is just a big perimeter track and nothing more. It is a large park and they host the Little League World Series here every year and also host many charity walks at that park – yesterday they had a “Relay for Life” Cancer walk from 10:00 a.m. to 10:00 p.m. But when I did the 5K, we went into a woodsy area, quite dense, in fact, I never knew that area existed – it was off the track area. I was impressed, though I can’t say I’d go in there myself – a little too dense on my own … I’m always prudent. Yesterday’s walk was out of Ford Field Park … but we were only there for the starting/ending point and we went through a beautiful area and quite open – unbelievably I went to school not far from here and never visited this estate or grounds – I worked on the school newspaper which name was “The Ford Estate” – why did I never go there to even visit? I will definitely return and especially if we keep getting rain because it was a totally paved path. Here is the link to the home and I have to look at this site this week and see where exactly you access the grounds to visit and stroll around. I really should have tried yesterday since the trees were blooming and it was very pretty. http://www.henryfordfairlane.org/

It does look very pretty with the gardens etc, I bet many people would be interested in the history of the Ford family, so that would be an excellent blog topic. Spring clothes sound overly optimistic!

I think it will be too Joni – I am going to check out that site better this week and if I can’t figure out how to get in, will call or contact them. Inside looks nice too – bet it will be much nicer after the restoration. I wonder if I should wait until the gardens are in bloom? I’ll see what the site says and even ask, though it looks like the director is new (as of March) so he may not know but staff may. Spring clothes are too optimistic – I will just keep the Winter clothes a bit longer.

Thanks Eliza and the bonus for me was that I now have a new place to walk, and no muddy trails if we continue to have rain (like today all day and tomorrow all day) so the trails don’t get flooded. I was glad I did it and there were so many dogs there … it was fun and a good cause too.

It was a fun event Ally and I guess if you had a dog maybe even more fun as surprisingly they all seemed to get along just fine. It was a cool day weather-wise which was good too – I guess that’s why they do it in May. Later in the Summer it would be oppressive for some of those big and furry dogs. I liked the name as well – very creative. I only started doing 5Ks in 2017. I had several booked last year and we had torrential rain, so often, and I bowed out but they did not cancel them. I was reluctant to book any this year after all the rain we’ve had. I have two more slated for next month. Another one is scheduled in September but you don’t have to register in advance as it is corporate sponsored but you can buy a tee-shirt and contribute to the cause (anti-bullying). I was bullied when we first moved to Michigan from Canada so it is a cause that I can embrace, only I was just miserable and picked on and occasionally beaten up, this teenager took her life due to bullying by her peers on social media. Just 15 years old a real shame.

Glad you enjoyed it Ann Marie – I think you would have enjoyed it too and now I have a new place to walk … the same route we took yesterday for the 5K and I’d like to try out the estate grounds as well.

Walking this event is Ideal / you can get photos and soak up so much more of nature – and they should have offered a small free sample! Oh my. And how well trained that dog must have been to not touch the bag st table’s end- oh and my step-daughter has – a husky with similar eyes – and he is super smart –

I always amble along when I’m in a 5K as I take pictures and write about the event in that day’s blog post. This time I think there were more runners than walkers so I got really behind. And, having never been to this venue, at one point, I had to ask one of the volunteers stationed along the route where to go next as it was a winding trail and there was a fork in the road. 🙂 I was amazed the dog did not accidentally/on purpose knock it down as he was sniffing it. I agree – they should have given samples – they’d have had more customers that way. Those eyes that belonged to the husky – my goodness, they were just pools of blue and gazing toward the sky when howling too!

Wow – I am sorry that happened Sabine. I am using the new editor and it was my understanding that Gutenberg is better for mobile and tablets. Guess they are wrong. I wonder if I give you the actual link, rather than accessing it in Reader, if it will help. In the last week, WordPress has done some tweaking on Gutenberg; before we could justify our text before and underline sub-headings, but no longer. Try this Sabine please and see if it will help any:https://lindaschaubblog.net/2019/05/11/who-let-the-dogs-out/

What a wonderful cause to run (or walk) a race for. I loved seeing all those dog photos. I can imagine why this race is so appealing to you – the animal lover!

The husky howling reminds me of an Akita we had. she would “sing” the national anthem with Bill. It cracked me up every time they did their duet!

Great doggie photos. It looks like a wonderful day all around. No wonder the birds and squirrels all stayed away. I guess you will have to go back some time that there are not lots of dogs around to check out the native wildlife!

Glad you liked this post Laurie and I thought it was great that they had so many options to participate … if you didn’t want to do the 5K at 8:00 a.m., you could just walk in the 2.2-mile Mutt Strut at 9:30 a.m., walking only and no timed race then. The dogs all got bandanas. They even had a 1-mile walk for senior dogs.

The husky was very funny – the owner looked a little mortified. I had even more dog pictures but left them out as the post was already very long.

It was a worthwhile cause and I saw a video of their new state-of-the-art shelter … separate areas to put the cats away from the dogs so they are not stressed and each animal gets its own cage and most of all it is a “no-kill” shelter. It was a nice walk and this was the same park where it was so swampy a few weeks ago so next time I go, I’d combine both treks – something different and I’ll check out the wildlife too. – you’re right, they likely were terrified of the dogs, especially that Bullmastiff!

That is a worthwhile cause. I love when race proceeds go to a cause I support anyway. Your dog photos were as good as your nature ones. It shows that you are an animal lover. You always make your subjects look so good.

Thanks Laurie – I have to tell you I took at least 25 shots of that Bullmastiff to get the two I ended up using- he moved around too fast and trying to get him and no people photobombing the shot plus get the drool captured as well was difficult. Are you still taking photos with the camera like you promised yourself you would. You took pics of the house and your nice mulch job and your grandson in Colorado and the race as I recall.

I like those charity races too. I have three more I’ve registered for this Summer and another one you can just show up on the day of as it is totally corporate sponsored. All good causes.

I can’t believe you captured even the drool! You are a perfectionist as a photographer and it shows. I am still taking at least 1 photo per day, hoping to improve. It’s time for me to move on to my next new learning thing, but I haven’t settled on anything yet.

Thanks Laurie – believe me, there was a lot of drool! It was so funny with all the people standing there with cameras or their smartphones trying to take his picture and he shook his head and drool went spraying everywhere! I got a DSLR camera last year and am trying to learn how to use it, but the compact digital is handy, and I feel more comfortable with it. About 95% of my pics are the small camera and I only use the DSLR on automatic and I did that with the 35 mm camera years ago – I want to learn how to do it on manual, like Shelley has taught herself. Shelley told me where to go for some videos, but he went kind of fast – I like videos better than reading the manual. Even the “Dummies” book is big. I did take the DSLR out two days in a row as there were so many cute goslings and baby robins so as soon as I assemble those pics, I’ll make a couple of posts. I’m looking forward to those upcoming races Laurie – hope the weather cooperates.

Thank you Laurie but I am handier with the small camera. I will work on m post tomorrow after sorting through the pictures.
I was here later than I thought I’d be. I had a smartphone briefly after AT&T was no longer supporting a 2G phone so I got a voucher and tried one – I could not get the swiping right and it dropped calls so went to a flip phone.

Hopefully the thunderstorms are over for your race tomorrow Laurie. I looked at Mike Posner’s progress and he’s had a few very rainy days this week. He’s still in Pennsylvania and now will not be coming to Detroit on his walk. He is going to a one-time acoustic guitar concert in Detroit (to raise $ for a relative who died this year – the money will go into a college fund for his child). Pretty impressive, one mile away from 400!

It was a fun event and they raised a lot of money to help local animal shelters and theirs in particular which is a large, brand-new, no-kill shelter. That pup was giving smooches out – I stood there hoping to get a picture, but the persons were standing in front of me and she had “handlers” behind her, so I couldn’t get a picture of her earning her $1.00. There were lots of furry friends there – that Bullmastiff was just incredible!

What a great event and a beautiful day for it. With all those dogs around I’m not surprised that the squirrels and birds stayed away. So were in the least bit tempted to become a doggie parent? They make great walking partners.

Yes, I was pleased Ruth as we’ve had so much rain and a few weeks before, I went to that park to see where it was – it was so swampy in the park I ended up not going on the trail. Then the race course info came in an e-mail and I realized it was not inside Ford Field Park except the start. I never thought about the dogs being a deterrent for the squirrels – that sure make sense. No, I wasn’t tempted because when I lost my last pet, a canary who had a stroke and I had to have him euthanized, I decided no more pets as I was so grief stricken over Buddy’s death. I have to admit that I’d be able to try some of the trails where I don’t go as they are too dense or woodsy … a dog would help for those times. I need to be able to borrow a dog for those occasions!

The death of a pet is hard and something We will be facing before too long. I am afraid our dog Scout doesn’t have long and I am not sure what is keeping him going. My husband and I are trying to prepare ourselves for his death but I don’t know how. It’s going to be so hard.

Yes, knowing it in advance is even harder. My first canary passed away the same year as my mom did and I was devastated. He was a a gift from my neighbor … after we lost Joey to cancer (he was pictured with my mom in one of the pictures in my Mother’s Day post, ) we vowed to never get another pet … we took care of my neighbor’s brand-new canary when she had to go to Arizona suddenly when her mom fell ill and was gone over 2 weeks. We spoiled him rotten and he sat in the kitchen with my mom all day (our neighbor worked most days as a hostess at a local psychic reading establishment, so when she came home and we gave him back, the poor bird was listless and wouldn’t sing and moped around, so she gave him to us. He was the light of our life and when he died, right in front of me on top of it, I was not going to get another pet and my neighbor said I needed one so I got Buddy. Then I lost Buddy in 2016 – no more, He had a stroke and had him euthanized – he couldn’t even hop to the bottom perch. I can’t handle it and I feel badly you will go through this – it’s very difficult.

What a wonderful event! Lovely scenery and lots and lots of dogs, I would love it. The little dog selling kisses, what a sweet idea. And the dog in a wheelchair is amazing. Love the picture of the mastiff and his drools! 🙂

It was very nice and fun Clare, even if you didn’t have a dog. And there was something for everyone – if you didn’t want to run, you could walk, and if you didn’t want to do the 5K, you could go in the shorter walk and they even had a walk for senior dogs (just one mile). Everyone had a great time. The kissing dog was cute and too bad I couldn’t get a shot of her kissing, but her handler was in front and the person was getting kissed. She had this huge tongue and was slobbering all over this one guy. Then she had the stoic face until the next person came along. The dog in the wheelchair was awesome and I wanted to find out the circumstances and there were so many people around. The mastiff shook his head and those drools and some from the other side went airborne – ew!!